Razor.



PATENTED NOV. 15, 1904.

K. o. GILLETTE. RAZOR. APPLIOATIONPILED DEO. 3. 1901.-

No MODEL.

UNITED STATES kmo C. GILLETTE, F BROOKLINE,

Patented November 15, 1904 PATENT OFFICE.

MASSACHUSETTS, AssiGNoR, BY

MASSACH USETTS.

RAZOR.

srncmeafrronforming part tf Letters Patent No. 775,134, dated November15, 1904.

Application tiled December 3, 1991. Serial Hu.`84,552. (No model.)

T0 (LM (1f/1,0m, it may concern,.-

Beit known that l, KING C. GILLE'rrn, acitizenoi the United States.residing at Brookline, in,the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRazors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention ls particularly applicable to' razors of the safety type,the use of which as heretofore constructed'involves a considerableamount o'f trouble, time, and expense on tliepart -of the user inkeeping lthe blades.

sharp. notv only for the reason that the blades used in razors of thistype require to be stropped and honed frequently, which cannot be donesatisfwetorily by the average individual user himself` but also for thevreason that theblades are worn out by honing and have to be replaced atconsiderable expense.

A main object of my invention is to provide a safety-razor in which thenecessity'of honing or stropping the blade is done away with, thussaving the annoyance and expense involved therein, and to this end .Imake the blade of my razor of very thin sheet-steel, thereby getting ridof a large amount of metal which has heretofore been requiredto give theblade the proper 'amount of strength and rigidity, and .l secure 'thisblade to a holder so constructed as to provide a rigid backing andsupport for the blade, as well as a handle therefon'so that although myblade itself is readily 'exible by reason of its thinness and lacks therigidity of the ordinary razor-blade` yet when it is combined with itsholder it receives a degree of rigidity sufficient to make itpractically operative. Thus the material from 'which my blades are madeneed only be just thick enough to take a suitable edge, so that theblades require but a small amount f material and can be ground veryquickly and easily. and hence I am able to produce and sell my blades socheaply that the user may buy them in quantities and throw themlawaywhen dull without making vthe expense thus, incurred as great as that ofkeeping the pr1or` blades sharp, and, moreover, willalwaysbave thecutting,r edge of his razor-blade n the same perfect condition as thatof a new blade. 1t

will be understood, of course, that my blades are made' of uniform size'and are detachably combined, with the holders, so 'that a purchaserneed buy but one holder and can Vthen readily substitute a sharp blade-for a dull one whenever necessary.

YOther objects of my invention are to provide a holder adapted toreceive a blade having two cutting edges, so that the life of a blademaythus be doubled, and also to provide a simple arrangement foradjusting the cutting edge or edges of a blade toward or from the guardto accommodate 'light or heavygrowths of beard or-tosuit the skill andconvenience of the user, and with the above ends in View I have devised'a bladeholder which enables me to utilize 'the ilexibility andelasticity of my blades in a very advantageous manner, my holder beingalso simple in construction and easily cleaned and having otheradvantages .which will hereinafter appear.

My invention is illustrated inI the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a plan view of one form of my blade. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the eorresponding form ofthe complete holder and bladecombined. Fig. 3 is an end View of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 isa similar view of the same parts slightly modified 'and without thehandle, showing said parts .sepa- .rated from one another, but inposition' to be clamped together. Fig. 5 is a transverse section takenjust above the guard` showing the latter in top plan view. Fig. 6 is acentral longitudinal section through the razor-blade, guard, andadjacent parts;. and Fig. 7 is a plan -view 'of the outer face of thehead of the razer. Fig. 8 is a plan view of the inner end of -the handleshown in Figs. 2 and 3.

The blade 2 of my razors made of' sheetsteel having preferably a uniformthickness of aboutsix one-thousandths of an inch. and is shown 'in Fig.1 as provided with two opp osite cutting edges 3, so that when one edgebecomesdull the other may be used. Mybladeholder comprises Aa backingadapted to sfupport the blade in such manner aste give its cutting edgeor edges sufficient rigidity, a

. present at the same time both cutting edges' c 2', 3, 5, 6, and 7 thesup the blade2 consists of a provide a receptacle for lather, its sideedges eral movements, said blade may be provided l similarly 'slotted tobolt 14,'secu'red to,'the backing 4 and passing 6'5 'which is not onlyamply suficient to prevent guard arranged to limit the expo'sure of thecutting edge or edges of the blade and pre vent the skin of the userfrom being cut thereby, r. handle, and means whereby these parts aresecured together and the blade is held against the backing with itscutting edgead' jacent fo the guard. My preferred form of holder isarranged to of the blade 2 in' position for usein order that either edgemay be used without changing the position of the blade, and to this endthe'two sides of the' holder are made alike, the handles of the devicebeing located midway-between them and symmetrically arranged withrespect thereto. Y

Accordingto the construction shown in Figs.

porting-backing for4 metal plate 4 of the same length as the blade, butslightly n'ar- 'rower than the same, and the guard '5, which may bestamped from sheet metal, is formed' to provide acentral portion V6,which is apn proximately semicylindrical in shape and presents itsconcave side to the backing 4 to,

.being notched to provide at each edge-a series 'of teeth 7,' which arebent outward and backward, as shown. The blade 2 is clamped between thebacking 4 and guard 5,.and to provide means yfor engaging the inner surfface of the blade the guard mayA be'prov'idedwith a narrowlongitudinally-extendimgl plate 8, secured to posts 9, formed integralwith or otherwise secured to the guard at the ends thereof. In order toposition the blade with respect to the guard and lhold it againstlatwith slots 10, adapted to receive the extended free endsl 11 of theposts 9, the plate 8 being receive the end portions 1 1 and supported onshoulders 12, formed at the base thereof. 1 prefer4 to make. the endportions 11 long enough to pass through corresponding slots 1'3, formedin the backing 4,- said backing also being thus positioned with vinelasticity of my blades, however, enable me respect to the blade andguard. The blade 2 is of course lsuitably tempered and is of such sizethat its-cutting edges project slightly beyond the rounded bases of theteeth 7, and it and the backing and guard are' detachably clampedtogether by means such as a threaded through a central perforation 15 in-the blade 2 and through corresponding perforations in the plate 8' andguard i-into the internally-V screw-threaded .hollow end of-a handle 16,which bears against the outside of the guard, the clamping'action beingexerted in an ob When the parts arel thus clamped together, theblade isfirmly supported so near its cutting edges that said edges are given adegree of rigidity f l new them'from bending or vibrating -in use, but

`is, in fact, considerably greater than is usually -found inrazor-,blades of the common type,

which aregenerally concaved, to such an ex.

considerable vibration of tent as to permit a the cutting edge.

Itis desirable that .the edges 3 of the blade shall inc'li'ne sdniewhattoward the handle 16 inl'order that they may'be presented ,at aconvenient angle with respect to the surface ot'4 the skin in theoperation of shaving, and I` accordingly prefer to make the innersurface of the backing 4 slightly concave transversely and to lcauae theblade te conform to said surtface, sorthat both its cutting edges willpoint the desired directions. The exibilityand to utilize the transversecurvature of the backing 4 to obtain other important results by merelymaking the blades themselves flat, this being, moreover, the simplestand most i'nexf. pensive way in which they can be made. Thus when myflat tiexible blade is placed upon the .plate 8, which is curvedvtransversely to correspond with tbe backing 4, the curvature of saidplate will cause it to engage the blade along its longitudinal centeronly, and when said backing isV placed against theblade the itsedgesonly, and before the handle is screwed 'latter will be first engaged bysaid backing at up and made to-exert a clamping action on these partsthe cutting edges of the blade will be separated from the edges of theguard by a distance depending on the lcurvature of said plate 8.' Asthe' handle is screwed up. however, the blade will be bent transversely,and

its edges ywill be thus madeto approach the edges of. the guard m'oreand more closely untiliinally the blade will be brought into contactthroughout with.,the backing and the plate8 and clamped between the samewith its edges close to the edges of the guard. When the handle isunscrewed, the edges of the blade will spring away from the edges of theguard as fast as such movement is permitted, and thus in a very simplemanner I provide an adjustment for the edges of the blade toward andfrom the guard for varying the space between them to provide for lightor'heavy growths-ofbeard or to suit the skill or 'custom of the user..Furthermore, the act of bending the 4blade imparts a considerable amountof rigidity to it, partly because of the tension which is put upon itand partly because of the curved shape which it is made to assume,andthe pressure exerted by the elasticity of the blade tends to hold thehandle by friction against the guard, and thus to pre vent it frombecoming unscrewed accidentally. As an additional means for locking thehandie in any desired position I have shown the guard 5in Fig. 5asprovided with three small rounded projections 17 on its top surfacebeneaththe inner end of the handle, the latter being provided with anumber of shallow re- IIO cesses 18, adapted to receive saidprojections. which arc'hcld therein by the pressure exerted by the bentblade ,with suflicient firm.- ness to prevent the turning of the handleaccidentally. l

'lhc plate 8 may bc omitted` from the guard 5, if desired, in which casethe blade will be supported directly on the shoulders 12, as

shown in Fig. 4; but when the blade is to be bent by the act of clampingit to the holder I prefer to employ said plate in order to provide abearing for the' inner surface of the 'blade throughout its length.

In order to prevent the corners of thc blade 2 from coming in contactwith and cutting thi-,skin of the user, l prefer to provide at cachcorner of the backin'ga laterally-extending projection 23, so located.that it will extend slightly beyond the edge of the correspending cornerot' the blade and lie close against the same, 'thus covering the rearside thereof, as best shown in Fig. 7. 'Ihs arrangement forprotecting'the corners of the blade is one of the important features ofmy inventionand has the advantage that being located on the rear orouter side of the blade it makes it'possible to leave awholly-unobstructcd space betwecnthe edge of the blade and the guard,extending throughout the length of the'former and allowinga free passageof the lather at all points. To give sufficient flexibility to theprojections 23 to enable them to follow the edges of the. blade 2 as itis bent and to lie close against the corners thereof at all times,notches 24 may be provided at the bases of said projections, as

, shown in Fig. 7, thus increasing the length and relative flexibilitythereof.

vIt will 4be evident that the thinner the material is of which my bladesare made the.

more flexible will the blades be and the greater will be the ease andspeed with which their cutting edges may be ground, and I have foundthat sheet-steel as thin as three one- 'thousandths of an inch may beused for my blades practically and successfully; but tcmpered bladeshaving the usual transverse di-4 mensions of safety-razor blades andmade of stecl which is considerably thicker than 1 s required t'or asuitable cutting edge may still be suliiciently iiexible to be capableof adjust? ment toward and lfrom the ner described. Y While 1 'prefer toemploya flexible blade guard in the manhaving two cutting edges, asherein described, `yet my invention is not limited to a blade with twocutting edges nor to the particular construction 'of holder hereindescribed, since, so far as I am aware, I am the fii'st to produce'arazor-blade which'may be thrown away when dull without loss of economyand to combine such a blade with a holder adapted to support the bladeandalso to give its cutting edge the rigidity necessary to make itoperat'ive, which rigidity the blade itself lacks on account of itsthinness and resulting flexibility. It will be evident also that thebladeholder herein described has novel features and advantages which arcindependent of th.:` particular form of blade used with it, and Iconsider said h older itself to constitutean important portion of myinvention.

I claim as my invention- 1. As a new article of manufacture, aflcxibleand detachable blade for safety-razors.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a detachable razor-blade of suchtbinness and dexibility as to require external support to give rigidityto1 its cutting edge.

3. As an article of manufacture, a flexible and detachable razor-bladehaving two oppo- -site cutting edges.

4. As an article of manufacture, a flexible and detachable razor-blademade of sheet-sfeel of uniform thickness and provided with tz'o oppositecutting edges.

5. As an varticle of manufactu re, a detachable, transversely flexiblerazorblade for safety razors, said blade having a longitudinal cuttingedge. y

6. 'As an article of manufacture, a detachable, transversely-flexiblerazor-blade having two'opposite longitudinal cutting edges.

In.a razor, th'e combination witha ilexible blade of a holder comprisinga handle, means for supporting the blade`l and giving rigidity toitscutting edge, and means for detachably securing the blade theretol 8. Ina razdi', the combination with a`transversely-exible blade'having alongitudinal lfm cutting edge, of a holder comprisingahandle,

a guard, and meansI for bending the blade transversely and therebyadjusting its ncutting edge with relation to the guard.

- 9. In a razor, the combination with a flexif ble blade of a holdercomprising a handle, a backing adapted to'support said blade and giverigidity toits cuttin'gedge, and means for detachably securing the bladethereto.

10. 1n a razor, the combination with aflexi I 10 ble blade of a holdercomprising a guard, a handle, a backing adapted to support said bladeand give Vrigidity to its cutting edge, and means for detachablysecuring the blade thereto.

11. In a razor, the combination with a flexible blade of a holdercomprising a rigid backing adapted to support said blade and giverigidity to its cutting edge, a guard, and means for detachablyclampingthe blade between F20 said backing and guard.

12. In a razor, the combination with a flexible blade having a cuttingedge of a holder comprising a'handle, a rigid backing arranged tosupport said blade near its longitudinal 120 edges, a guard arranged toengage the opposite side of said blade-between said edges, and means foradjustably clamping said-backing and guard together.y

13. In a razor, the combination with a dat,

' spondingly-curved guard edges, andA means lis edges, of a holdercomprising a handle.

v blade between 'flexible blade having two opposite `cuting a oubleguard, a rigid backing adapted to support said blade, and. means forsimultaneously bending the blade transversely and clamping it againstsaid backing.

14. In 'a razor, the combination with s. iiexible blade of a rigidbacking adapted to'support said blade. a guard, a handle,`andmeansoperated by said handle for bending the blade with respect to theguard and simultaneously clamping it against said backing.

15. In a razor, the combination with a exible blade having two oppositecutting edges,

'of a holder comprising a handle,

la rigid backing adapted to support said blade; a double guard, andmeans operated .by the handle for bending said blade .transversely andthereby adjusting its edges with relation to saidf'guard.

16. In a razor, the combination with aiiexible blade of a' holdercomprising a handle, a transversely-curved, rigid backing adapted toengage said blade near its ""edges, a correadapted to engage theopposite `side'of said blade between its for'drawing said backing andguard together, thereby clampingl the them and bending it transversely.l

17. In a razor, the combination with a blade having two opposite cuttingedges,of a guard having two opposite edges cooperating with said cuttingedges respectively, means for clamping said-blade thereto, and a handlelocated midway between theedges of the guard.

18. In a razor, the combination with a blade having two opposite cuttingedges, of a holder comprising a backing, a guard having two oppositeedges cooperating with said cutting edges respectively, meansforclamping the blade between said backing and guard, and a handlelocated midway between the edges of said guard and symmetricallyarranged with respect thereto. i

19. In a razor, the-combination with a blade having two opposite cuttingedges. of a holder comprising a central handle, aguard, a back-- ing,und means operated by the handle for clamping the blade between theguard and bucking. l l

20. ln a razor, the combination with a perforated blade havinlglr twoopposite cutting' edges. of a holder comprising a guard having twoopposite edgesicoperating with said cutting edges respectively, abacking, a handle, and clamping means passing through said blade. 'V

21. In a razor, the combination witha blade of a holder comprising aguard, a handle, and a backing located on the opposite side of thebladef rom said guard and handle and provided with projections, arrangedto cover the corners of the blade without crossing its cutting edge. Y22. In a razor, the combinationwith a blade ofa holder comprising .ahandle, a guard, a backing havingprojections arranged to cover thecorners of the blade without crossing its cutting edge, and means forvclamping said blade and backingtogether.

123. In a razor, the combination with a fiexible blade -having twoopposite cutting edges,

of a holder comprising a backing adapted to support and give rigidity tosaid blade near its cutting edges, a double guard, a handle.symmetrically arranged with respect to the blade, and means fordetachably securing the blade between the backing and the guard.

24. In a razor, the combination 'with a perforated blade of a holdercomprisinga guard, abacking,a handle, and positioning and clamping meanspassing through the perforations in the blade. i

25. In a razor, the combination with a perforated blade of a holdercomprising a cprrespondingly perforated guard, a backing, a handle, andclamping and positioning\means passing through the perforations in theblade and guard. V26. In a razor. the cqmbinatiomwith a perforated bladehaving two opposite cutting edges, of a holder comprisinga handle, abacking, a double guard, and clamping and positioning means passingthrough the perforations in the blade. .y

27. In a razor, `the combihation with a perforated iiexible blade of aholder comprising a transversely-curved rigid backing, a guard curvedtransversely to correspond with said backing, positioning means passingthe perforatons in the blade, and means for detachably clampingthe.bladeV between the backing and the guard. v 28. In a razor, a holdercomprising a backing, a guard, positioning means secured to one oi' saidparts and passing through perforations 'formed in the other of saidparts, a handle,

and means for drawing the guard and backing together.

29. In' a razor, a holder comprising a guard having oppositelongitudinal edges formed to cooperate with a double-edged blade, meansfor holding a blade inproper relation to said guard, and a handlesecured to said guard between thc longitudinal edges and symmetricallyarranged with respect thereto.

30. Asafety-razorcomprisingasupportingf plate having studs, a bladehaving openings iitting said studs,a securing-plate also having openingsiitting said studs, and means for adjustin g said securing-plate withrelationV to the supporting-plate.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub Vscribed my name this 23d dayof November,

' KING C. GILLET'IE.

Witnesses:

E. D. CHADWICK, JOSEPH T. BRENNAN.

through' IOO

